The Public Life of the Earl of Macartney

An 1807 biography of the distinguished British statesman George Macartney (1737–1806), including substantial selections from his own writings.

John Barrow (Author), George Macartney (Author)

9781108026192, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 17 February 2011

626 pages, 1 b/w illus.
24.4 x 17 x 3.2 cm, 0.98 kg

George Macartney (1737–1806) had a long and distinguished political and diplomatic career. He held the post of Secretary for Ireland, was successively governor of Grenada, Madras and the Cape Colony, and served as trade envoy to Russia and China. The son of an Irish landowner, Macartney rose in his profession through diligent diplomacy, perseverance, ambition and integrity; he gradually advanced in both the British and Irish peerage. This two-volume biography by Sir John Barrow, who had accompanied Macartney to China and the Cape, was first published in 1807, and draws heavily on official documents from Macartney's periods in office. Volume 1 contains a chronological account of Macartney's professional life, focusing particularly on the challenges he faced while Governor of Madras in the 1780s, including military threats, wrangling over fiscal policies, the extension of Fort St George, and plans for a Madras police force.

Preface
1. Narrative of the public life of Lord Macartney, containing some account of his mission to the court of St. Petersburg as Envoy Extraordinary
2. Of his Secretaryship of Ireland
3. Of his government of Grenada
4. Of his government of Madras
5. Of his appointment to the government-general of Bengal
6. Of his embassy to the court of Pekin
7. Of his government of the Cape of Good Hope
8. Of his character and general characteristics
Appendix.

Subject Areas: Asian history [HBJF]